Thursday, January 15, 2009
On the road again!
Jan 11,
It was after 10:30 when we finally departed Caliente. The warning centre in the truck told me I had a problem with the trailer brakes so it took a little time to figure out the main connection was a little corroded; after wiggling it some it worked fine. We drove to Casa Grande then took #15 south west through the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation. We saw over a dozen border patrol vehicles and actually saw them apprehending a couple of guys along side the road. We found the Why BLM free parking area mid afternoon and got set up after registering. Half of the dozen units in here are from BC including one from Sunnybrae near Tappen. It’s warmer here than Florence area. No internet, electric or swimming pool so off to bed shortly after 8 PM.
Jan 12
Stayed abed til nearly 8 AM! Cooked bacon and pancakes outside this morning then mid morning we gassed up in Why ($1.759). Why was named for the Y the road makes with one road leading to Tucson and the other to Mexico. We spent most of the day puttering our way around the 21 mile single lane, one way loop road in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Stopped lots for pictures and walked around extensively. I was wise enough to throw Aileen’s suduko book in so she could keep occupied and not miss me. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with the temperature getting up to 24C but the wind kept it from getting too hot. It was certainly different from last February 15 when we were here with Wendy and Randy and the high was about 4C and it rained lots. We found a nice windy spot to have lunch so we didn’t get too warm. Only two vehicles went by in the 1 ½ hour we were stopped. Only about 8 the whole day, in fact. Where is everyone? Our camp area is almost empty, the road is very quiet. In fact, about half the vehicles I did see on the highway have Mexican plates on them.
I’ve noticed quite a number of Saguaro cacti in the area missing their main stem with usually side stems growing up to replace it. I haven’t found the missing piece laying on the ground either. Tonight I think I solved the mystery when I came upon one that was short enough to look into. The centre of the trunk is all charred so I believe they’ve been struck by lightning. I guess it stands to reason when they are about the highest thing around.
Both nights I’ve walked across quite away to find a foreground for the sunsets. Aileen came later last night with me guiding her by walkie talkie. She didn’t join me tonight so I stayed out later. I could barely see my way and for awhile I wasn’t sure which trailer to head for. I could see a couple gleaming whitely. It’s so flat here you have trouble seeing very far because there’s also lots of shrubs that are 5-6 feet tall. I used different foreground cactus tonight which were quite a bit further than last night’s.
Jan 13
This morning we went to Alamo Canyon. Since pets weren’t allowed on the trail, I walked up and checked it out. There had been a ranch of sorts in the old days. The brick house walls are still standing in good condition. Further on was quite a surprise – a cold, clear flowing creek! One pool was at least 4 feet deep. Within half a mile the creek disappears in the open desert. There were Indian grinding holes in the rocks alongside the corral, well and water tank. I read the Indians had been here at least 11,000 years ago and the Sonoran Desert has only been a desert for 10,000! We saw more border patrol agents at work again. Four of their vehicles were parked and I presume they were on the trail of some illegals. We had parked in a side road for lunch but hadn’t gotten our food out yet when an agent moved us along.
We checked out the road behind the visitors centre which only goes 5 miles to a locked gate. It used to be a 50 plus mile loop but for some reason is no longer available. Aliens, lack of manpower or turning it into wilderness are all excuses I’ve heard. No idea if one is accurate. We also drove down to the Mexican border at Lukeville where we had an ice cream cone. We got back to the trailer before 3 PM where Aileen had a short nap. I sat in the sun for awhile then Mitzy and I went for a walk across the desert. We have to make sure we carry water for Mitzy as she needs to drink often when it’s warm. With her short nose, she has no built in air conditioning. I made one last try at a sunset but it fizzled on me. Aileen turned on the porch light for me to find my way back which made it easier. Aileen chatted with friend Bev in Victoria tonight and friend Wendy in Salmon Arm this morning. Mitzy’s groomer in Florence called to confirm her appointment when we return in a couple weeks. Tomorrow we move on to Yuma and hopefully will have internet so I can post another installment.
Jan 15
Here we are in Yuma. Didn’t bother getting internet hooked up yesterday as we were busy and they charge US$5 per day!!! We found Cactus Gardens RV Resort easily with Edna’s directions and they met us at the office. They’d arranged for us to park right across from their trailer so that was handy. We went a few trailers down from them to their RV friends from home, jam session. Awesome music and such a wide variety. I could listen to that forever. Ray barbequed a chicken for supper then later we played chicken foot – a variety of Mexican Train. That was fun.
This morning, Ray and Edna took us off to a large flea market. We bought some veggies but left everything else. We four went to the Daybreaker Café and had a really nice lunch. Aileen had sweet potato pecan pancakes and reports they were excellent. Aileen is napping this afternoon as she and Edna are going out with the girls tonight to a Johnny Cash tribute at another RV park. I thought about going but decided it would be better to leave the girls on their own. I’ll catch up on the computer and go to the pool and hot tub.
It was after 10:30 when we finally departed Caliente. The warning centre in the truck told me I had a problem with the trailer brakes so it took a little time to figure out the main connection was a little corroded; after wiggling it some it worked fine. We drove to Casa Grande then took #15 south west through the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation. We saw over a dozen border patrol vehicles and actually saw them apprehending a couple of guys along side the road. We found the Why BLM free parking area mid afternoon and got set up after registering. Half of the dozen units in here are from BC including one from Sunnybrae near Tappen. It’s warmer here than Florence area. No internet, electric or swimming pool so off to bed shortly after 8 PM.
Jan 12
Stayed abed til nearly 8 AM! Cooked bacon and pancakes outside this morning then mid morning we gassed up in Why ($1.759). Why was named for the Y the road makes with one road leading to Tucson and the other to Mexico. We spent most of the day puttering our way around the 21 mile single lane, one way loop road in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Stopped lots for pictures and walked around extensively. I was wise enough to throw Aileen’s suduko book in so she could keep occupied and not miss me. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with the temperature getting up to 24C but the wind kept it from getting too hot. It was certainly different from last February 15 when we were here with Wendy and Randy and the high was about 4C and it rained lots. We found a nice windy spot to have lunch so we didn’t get too warm. Only two vehicles went by in the 1 ½ hour we were stopped. Only about 8 the whole day, in fact. Where is everyone? Our camp area is almost empty, the road is very quiet. In fact, about half the vehicles I did see on the highway have Mexican plates on them.
I’ve noticed quite a number of Saguaro cacti in the area missing their main stem with usually side stems growing up to replace it. I haven’t found the missing piece laying on the ground either. Tonight I think I solved the mystery when I came upon one that was short enough to look into. The centre of the trunk is all charred so I believe they’ve been struck by lightning. I guess it stands to reason when they are about the highest thing around.
Both nights I’ve walked across quite away to find a foreground for the sunsets. Aileen came later last night with me guiding her by walkie talkie. She didn’t join me tonight so I stayed out later. I could barely see my way and for awhile I wasn’t sure which trailer to head for. I could see a couple gleaming whitely. It’s so flat here you have trouble seeing very far because there’s also lots of shrubs that are 5-6 feet tall. I used different foreground cactus tonight which were quite a bit further than last night’s.
Jan 13
This morning we went to Alamo Canyon. Since pets weren’t allowed on the trail, I walked up and checked it out. There had been a ranch of sorts in the old days. The brick house walls are still standing in good condition. Further on was quite a surprise – a cold, clear flowing creek! One pool was at least 4 feet deep. Within half a mile the creek disappears in the open desert. There were Indian grinding holes in the rocks alongside the corral, well and water tank. I read the Indians had been here at least 11,000 years ago and the Sonoran Desert has only been a desert for 10,000! We saw more border patrol agents at work again. Four of their vehicles were parked and I presume they were on the trail of some illegals. We had parked in a side road for lunch but hadn’t gotten our food out yet when an agent moved us along.
We checked out the road behind the visitors centre which only goes 5 miles to a locked gate. It used to be a 50 plus mile loop but for some reason is no longer available. Aliens, lack of manpower or turning it into wilderness are all excuses I’ve heard. No idea if one is accurate. We also drove down to the Mexican border at Lukeville where we had an ice cream cone. We got back to the trailer before 3 PM where Aileen had a short nap. I sat in the sun for awhile then Mitzy and I went for a walk across the desert. We have to make sure we carry water for Mitzy as she needs to drink often when it’s warm. With her short nose, she has no built in air conditioning. I made one last try at a sunset but it fizzled on me. Aileen turned on the porch light for me to find my way back which made it easier. Aileen chatted with friend Bev in Victoria tonight and friend Wendy in Salmon Arm this morning. Mitzy’s groomer in Florence called to confirm her appointment when we return in a couple weeks. Tomorrow we move on to Yuma and hopefully will have internet so I can post another installment.
Jan 15
Here we are in Yuma. Didn’t bother getting internet hooked up yesterday as we were busy and they charge US$5 per day!!! We found Cactus Gardens RV Resort easily with Edna’s directions and they met us at the office. They’d arranged for us to park right across from their trailer so that was handy. We went a few trailers down from them to their RV friends from home, jam session. Awesome music and such a wide variety. I could listen to that forever. Ray barbequed a chicken for supper then later we played chicken foot – a variety of Mexican Train. That was fun.
This morning, Ray and Edna took us off to a large flea market. We bought some veggies but left everything else. We four went to the Daybreaker Café and had a really nice lunch. Aileen had sweet potato pecan pancakes and reports they were excellent. Aileen is napping this afternoon as she and Edna are going out with the girls tonight to a Johnny Cash tribute at another RV park. I thought about going but decided it would be better to leave the girls on their own. I’ll catch up on the computer and go to the pool and hot tub.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Hiking and partying through life!
The waterfall is up in the top part of the image.
Scenes from Massacre Grounds hike.Jan 8, 2009
I was up by 6:30 this morning to join the hiking group. 30 people came out today so a hard group to manage as their fitness level ranged from pretty good to very marginal. We went east of Apache Junction and Lost Dutchman State Park to the Massacre Grounds trail. We gained something in the range of 900-1200 feet elevation and three of us probably did about 8 miles total. One lady had to drop out after about ½ - ¾ mile because of her knees. A real bonus for me was finding a waterfall (with water!) at the end of the trail. It wasn’t very wide but did spray our nicely at the bottom. It was in the shade and very cool which was refreshing after our climb in the sunshine. I felt pretty good hiking today. I was worried as I’d been feeling so puny the past few days. I came off the mountain quite quickly as the others had turned back long before and I didn’t want them waiting. I arrived back with the main group as it turned out and then sat and waited for the stragglers. We were home by 1:30 which still amazes me as we never had such short hikes at home.
We went to the clubhouse for Cornish game hens for supper. We visited with some different people this time. One couple was from Iowa, the other from Manitoba. Jan 9
We had a busy day here today. Aileen gave Mitzy a bath then me a haircut. Several people stopped by to chat – some we knew, some we didn’t. I talked to the guy we bought from, and the office, to plan how we return to the park in a couple weeks as name tags are required. We’ll park on our new lot and pretend we’re renting from Jim and Betty. We went to town earlier to the Post Office and then opened an account at the local bank. After lunch we went to Coolidge. Aileen had a haircut then we checked out the thrift store which has used furnishings etc. Gas and groceries rounded out the trip. While Aileen put things away, I took Mitzy for a walk in the desert out back. On our return, Aileen was visiting Evie and Bobby who are our new neighbours beside the empty lot. We spent an hour (and a drink) there before we had to rush off to Dalgleish’s for supper. Sylvain and Rita plus Norm and Sheri were also there. They are close neighbours on our street. Actually the supper was mostly prepared by Norm and Sheri. We’d been invited this morning were happy to meet more friends. We spent quite awhile visiting (and more drinks) then had a nice late supper. It was a great evening which almost went awry when Sync’s chair leg fell in the furnace duct hole when the grate moved aside. He toppled over sideways rather gracefully with only minor damage to the curtain and window sill. Hopefully he has no ill effects later. We had to leave finally as Aileen was pooped and the others took that as a good time to go as well. She couldn’t fit in a nap today and had done a lot plus some wine. She did manage to help me cover the pool though, after I swam and soaked in the hot tub.
Jan 10
We went to the clubhouse for breakfast this morning. Sat with Doyle and June who are neighbours on the same street as our back lot. Aileen did laundry while Mitzy and I went for a walk on the desert. We go to the clubhouse for supper and a show tonight. Tomorrow we hook up the trailer and head down the road somewhere eventually arriving at Yuma then heading up to Quartzsite. There’s no route planned yet. We plan on returning here about Jan 25.
I was up by 6:30 this morning to join the hiking group. 30 people came out today so a hard group to manage as their fitness level ranged from pretty good to very marginal. We went east of Apache Junction and Lost Dutchman State Park to the Massacre Grounds trail. We gained something in the range of 900-1200 feet elevation and three of us probably did about 8 miles total. One lady had to drop out after about ½ - ¾ mile because of her knees. A real bonus for me was finding a waterfall (with water!) at the end of the trail. It wasn’t very wide but did spray our nicely at the bottom. It was in the shade and very cool which was refreshing after our climb in the sunshine. I felt pretty good hiking today. I was worried as I’d been feeling so puny the past few days. I came off the mountain quite quickly as the others had turned back long before and I didn’t want them waiting. I arrived back with the main group as it turned out and then sat and waited for the stragglers. We were home by 1:30 which still amazes me as we never had such short hikes at home.
We went to the clubhouse for Cornish game hens for supper. We visited with some different people this time. One couple was from Iowa, the other from Manitoba. Jan 9
We had a busy day here today. Aileen gave Mitzy a bath then me a haircut. Several people stopped by to chat – some we knew, some we didn’t. I talked to the guy we bought from, and the office, to plan how we return to the park in a couple weeks as name tags are required. We’ll park on our new lot and pretend we’re renting from Jim and Betty. We went to town earlier to the Post Office and then opened an account at the local bank. After lunch we went to Coolidge. Aileen had a haircut then we checked out the thrift store which has used furnishings etc. Gas and groceries rounded out the trip. While Aileen put things away, I took Mitzy for a walk in the desert out back. On our return, Aileen was visiting Evie and Bobby who are our new neighbours beside the empty lot. We spent an hour (and a drink) there before we had to rush off to Dalgleish’s for supper. Sylvain and Rita plus Norm and Sheri were also there. They are close neighbours on our street. Actually the supper was mostly prepared by Norm and Sheri. We’d been invited this morning were happy to meet more friends. We spent quite awhile visiting (and more drinks) then had a nice late supper. It was a great evening which almost went awry when Sync’s chair leg fell in the furnace duct hole when the grate moved aside. He toppled over sideways rather gracefully with only minor damage to the curtain and window sill. Hopefully he has no ill effects later. We had to leave finally as Aileen was pooped and the others took that as a good time to go as well. She couldn’t fit in a nap today and had done a lot plus some wine. She did manage to help me cover the pool though, after I swam and soaked in the hot tub.
Jan 10
We went to the clubhouse for breakfast this morning. Sat with Doyle and June who are neighbours on the same street as our back lot. Aileen did laundry while Mitzy and I went for a walk on the desert. We go to the clubhouse for supper and a show tonight. Tomorrow we hook up the trailer and head down the road somewhere eventually arriving at Yuma then heading up to Quartzsite. There’s no route planned yet. We plan on returning here about Jan 25.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Our Arizona property
View of our back lot where we'll park the trailer. #317 E Occotillo. Visible is the back of our park model trailer shown in the next picture.
Front view of our new winter residence in Caliente Casa De Sol, Florence, Arizona. #318 E Palo Verde Lane.We’ve bought property!
I took pictures but the program won't let me load them today. Maybe tomorrow.
We made the plunge this morning and bought the park model trailer two over from us along with the lot directly behind it. Each lot is about 30x40 feet and there is a shed on each. The main lot with the trailer has a metal roof over the whole space and the back lot has a cover for an RV. We’ll park our trailer there to keep it protected from the sun and for use as a guest cottage if someone happens to visit. We’ve been idly looking ever since arriving here and early on Aileen had decided Jim and Betty’s was what she’d like. Then suddenly last Saturday, they told us they’d bought another and their lots were now for sale. It didn’t help that was the day I came down with a flu bug or something but we had to do lots of scheming to figure out how to put the deal together. They kindly gave us four days to make up our mind before openly advertising it. There were already others interested, we know. There is quite a flurry of activity happening with both sales and rentals. All of a sudden there’s nothing left to rent and people are constantly scurrying about looking.
Our closing date is January 28. We are going to continue with our previous plans and head over to Yuma and Quartzsite, probably this Sunday. The only change is we’ll come back afterward for two or three weeks until time to head for BC. That way we should be able to make some plans for what is required next Fall. We don’t know at this time what will be left in the way of furniture. It will probably depend on what Jim and Betty can’t squeeze into their new place. The park model is a 1992 but has been kept up quite well and has several fairly new things like water tank and taps, flooring and lots else. They seem to be quite proactive in that department. The metal roof over top helps to keep the heat down. It isn’t quite how we’d planned (actually, we didn’t have a plan!) to do it but we felt this opportunity was too good to lose. We still intend to keep our house rented out and travel Canada during the next few summers then decide what to do for summer residence.
We made the plunge this morning and bought the park model trailer two over from us along with the lot directly behind it. Each lot is about 30x40 feet and there is a shed on each. The main lot with the trailer has a metal roof over the whole space and the back lot has a cover for an RV. We’ll park our trailer there to keep it protected from the sun and for use as a guest cottage if someone happens to visit. We’ve been idly looking ever since arriving here and early on Aileen had decided Jim and Betty’s was what she’d like. Then suddenly last Saturday, they told us they’d bought another and their lots were now for sale. It didn’t help that was the day I came down with a flu bug or something but we had to do lots of scheming to figure out how to put the deal together. They kindly gave us four days to make up our mind before openly advertising it. There were already others interested, we know. There is quite a flurry of activity happening with both sales and rentals. All of a sudden there’s nothing left to rent and people are constantly scurrying about looking.
Our closing date is January 28. We are going to continue with our previous plans and head over to Yuma and Quartzsite, probably this Sunday. The only change is we’ll come back afterward for two or three weeks until time to head for BC. That way we should be able to make some plans for what is required next Fall. We don’t know at this time what will be left in the way of furniture. It will probably depend on what Jim and Betty can’t squeeze into their new place. The park model is a 1992 but has been kept up quite well and has several fairly new things like water tank and taps, flooring and lots else. They seem to be quite proactive in that department. The metal roof over top helps to keep the heat down. It isn’t quite how we’d planned (actually, we didn’t have a plan!) to do it but we felt this opportunity was too good to lose. We still intend to keep our house rented out and travel Canada during the next few summers then decide what to do for summer residence.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Happy New Year!
Aileen and I wish you the best health and happiness you can manage for 2009. We stayed home yesterday. Aileen gave Mitzy a bath, much to M’s disgust. Later, I took Mitzy for a good walk in the desert. It was very warm so she was pooped when we returned. The temperature is getting up in the low 70Fs right now which equates to low 20Cs. Aileen had a long nap in preparation for the party evening. I spent the latter part of the afternoon sitting in the sun reading.
We went to the clubhouse for the New Years party and had a good time. We met some more people and have an invitation to go next door to Florence Gardens to visit a couple from Ontario. The doors open 15 minutes before events normally and it’s humorous watching the antics. Last night there were about 30 people lined up just after 7 PM when I took Mitzy to the dog park. Doors opened 7:45. It reminds me of the old school bus lineups with people jockeying for position. I think it was a sell out crowd; there didn’t seem to be many empty seats. They are a real dancing crowd. At times the floor was very full. The two piece band played a wide range of music which was enjoyable to listen to as well as mostly good dancing. Aileen and I took our bottle of Malibu Rum to keep us mobile. There was tons of finger food so we were able to keep our strength up as well. We stayed til the band quit a little past 12AM. Aileen and I probably danced at least half the dances! Took quite awhile to settle down back at home. Mitzy met us at the door in a hurry to visit the dog park. What a crowd there was there. I think eight other dogs all being walked and the general consensus was they were all in a hurry when their Mom and Dad got home. Kind of funny at 12:30 AM. I went off to the shower house while Aileen decided on a bath in the trailer.
January 1, 2009
We didn’t get to sleep later than normal as Mitzy wanted her usual trip to the dog park at 8. We took it cool today. The big job was taking down the decorations. Must have taken nearly 10 minutes! Aileen had a good nap later and I went for another stroll in the desert. At 4 PM we went to the New Years supper at the boardroom. I think 14 couples attended and we had a great time. We got to meet several new people and some that we’d met previously. It was a great potluck with a wide variety of dishes. A neat thing was going around the table and having everyone speak about themselves. Later we played some kind of game of which I was one of two winners, my prize being over a pound of chocolate pieces which I sent around the table as I no longer devour chocolate since I identified it as one of my migraine triggers. There were some pretty interesting things mentioned and some were hilarious. We were home before 8 then after a bit we went to the pool. We had a call from Garry and Barb in Duncan and it sounds like they’re pretty tired of this winter.
Jan 2
It was another low key day. Mid morning, we walked over to visit people we met at the dance but they weren’t home. I barbequed wieners for lunch and later Aileen had a long nap. I managed to get quite a bit of reading in lounging in the sun. It was a little cooler today as the wind had a tang to it. Beautifully clear still but still forecasting showers by Sunday. I dug the printer out and made a bunch of 4x6s as Aileen wanted some more cards made and I wanted to send some prints to Mom and Dad. My Canon Pro 9500 printer lives under the bed and it is hard on the back getting it in and out. It and my laptop pretty much fill the table when printing. It sure is nice to be able to make prints on the road though. We had company in the pool tonight. A young couple from small town Montana (Broadus) are visiting her Mom. More and more people are coming now that the holidays are done. Several people are actively searching for property. Three or four groups toured the park model beside us. Others are rushing around with lists in hand.
Jan 3
We hadn’t planned on going anywhere today but a screw came loose on my glasses and after tracking down a set of tiny screwdrivers at Daryl’s across the road and trying unsuccessfully to repair it, we had to go to WalMart in Coolidge. They fixed it easily but she said she had to install a new screw. I couldn’t have fixed it myself if I’d tried all day! She also cleaned and adjusted my specs, all at no charge.
I dug the printer out again today to put a message in a card for Joni whose birthday we’re invited to tomorrow. I also printed Mom and Dad’s letter to go with the prints. Tonight in the pool we met a lady from Kansas and another from Kamloops. Their husbands came by and visited but didn’t come in the pool. The people from Kamloops rented Wendy and Randy’s trailer last year.
Jan 6
I’ve been ill the past couple days with headache and stomach ails. I picked up a bug somewhere I guess. I’m posting this from the trailer so no pictures today. The router signal is too weak to allow uploading images. Joni’s party went well. There was a good sized crowd and lots of food which her husband Pete had prepared. Joni made a couple of speeches and she was pleased to have her son and his girlfriend here from California. We’ve had rain the past couple days, ¼ inch yesterday, and today has dawned sunny and bright again. Hopefully this bug will go away so I can get back to doing again.
We went to the clubhouse for the New Years party and had a good time. We met some more people and have an invitation to go next door to Florence Gardens to visit a couple from Ontario. The doors open 15 minutes before events normally and it’s humorous watching the antics. Last night there were about 30 people lined up just after 7 PM when I took Mitzy to the dog park. Doors opened 7:45. It reminds me of the old school bus lineups with people jockeying for position. I think it was a sell out crowd; there didn’t seem to be many empty seats. They are a real dancing crowd. At times the floor was very full. The two piece band played a wide range of music which was enjoyable to listen to as well as mostly good dancing. Aileen and I took our bottle of Malibu Rum to keep us mobile. There was tons of finger food so we were able to keep our strength up as well. We stayed til the band quit a little past 12AM. Aileen and I probably danced at least half the dances! Took quite awhile to settle down back at home. Mitzy met us at the door in a hurry to visit the dog park. What a crowd there was there. I think eight other dogs all being walked and the general consensus was they were all in a hurry when their Mom and Dad got home. Kind of funny at 12:30 AM. I went off to the shower house while Aileen decided on a bath in the trailer.
January 1, 2009
We didn’t get to sleep later than normal as Mitzy wanted her usual trip to the dog park at 8. We took it cool today. The big job was taking down the decorations. Must have taken nearly 10 minutes! Aileen had a good nap later and I went for another stroll in the desert. At 4 PM we went to the New Years supper at the boardroom. I think 14 couples attended and we had a great time. We got to meet several new people and some that we’d met previously. It was a great potluck with a wide variety of dishes. A neat thing was going around the table and having everyone speak about themselves. Later we played some kind of game of which I was one of two winners, my prize being over a pound of chocolate pieces which I sent around the table as I no longer devour chocolate since I identified it as one of my migraine triggers. There were some pretty interesting things mentioned and some were hilarious. We were home before 8 then after a bit we went to the pool. We had a call from Garry and Barb in Duncan and it sounds like they’re pretty tired of this winter.
Jan 2
It was another low key day. Mid morning, we walked over to visit people we met at the dance but they weren’t home. I barbequed wieners for lunch and later Aileen had a long nap. I managed to get quite a bit of reading in lounging in the sun. It was a little cooler today as the wind had a tang to it. Beautifully clear still but still forecasting showers by Sunday. I dug the printer out and made a bunch of 4x6s as Aileen wanted some more cards made and I wanted to send some prints to Mom and Dad. My Canon Pro 9500 printer lives under the bed and it is hard on the back getting it in and out. It and my laptop pretty much fill the table when printing. It sure is nice to be able to make prints on the road though. We had company in the pool tonight. A young couple from small town Montana (Broadus) are visiting her Mom. More and more people are coming now that the holidays are done. Several people are actively searching for property. Three or four groups toured the park model beside us. Others are rushing around with lists in hand.
Jan 3
We hadn’t planned on going anywhere today but a screw came loose on my glasses and after tracking down a set of tiny screwdrivers at Daryl’s across the road and trying unsuccessfully to repair it, we had to go to WalMart in Coolidge. They fixed it easily but she said she had to install a new screw. I couldn’t have fixed it myself if I’d tried all day! She also cleaned and adjusted my specs, all at no charge.
I dug the printer out again today to put a message in a card for Joni whose birthday we’re invited to tomorrow. I also printed Mom and Dad’s letter to go with the prints. Tonight in the pool we met a lady from Kansas and another from Kamloops. Their husbands came by and visited but didn’t come in the pool. The people from Kamloops rented Wendy and Randy’s trailer last year.
Jan 6
I’ve been ill the past couple days with headache and stomach ails. I picked up a bug somewhere I guess. I’m posting this from the trailer so no pictures today. The router signal is too weak to allow uploading images. Joni’s party went well. There was a good sized crowd and lots of food which her husband Pete had prepared. Joni made a couple of speeches and she was pleased to have her son and his girlfriend here from California. We’ve had rain the past couple days, ¼ inch yesterday, and today has dawned sunny and bright again. Hopefully this bug will go away so I can get back to doing again.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Exploring, exploring!
Whitlow Ranch Rd
Whitlow Ranch Rd
Road to Cochran
Coke ovens
Lower part of side canyon
Upper side canyon
Lower side canyon
Waiting to wreck your running board or rocker panel
Last Chance Mine area
Hewitt Station Rd
Hewitt Station Rd
Hewitt Station RdDecember 27, 2008
We stayed around home this morning even though it did turn sunny. We had a nice white frost which hung around quite awhile after the sun came out. Aileen made a mincemeat pie using the mincemeat she made from scratch. We had some for supper and it was delicious. I went to the library for more books and took Mitzy for a longer walk.
After lunch we took our new county map and went to Cochran. The roads have mostly dried up now so no problems. You wouldn’t want to drive that road during or shortly after a heavy rain as much of it follows washes and it looks like the water really boogies down them. We met many bikes and ATVs along the way plus a few vehicles. The big surprise was getting to the end of the road and finding a new Class C motor home and a large 5th wheel towed by a semi! And Aileen was worried about us in our 4x4! We were able to see the Coke Ovens across the Gila River but no way to get to them. They were built in 1882 and are conical 30 foot high rock structures. They actually produced charcoal (not coke) from Mesquite to help in the mine processors. There is a ford across the river at low water. We talked to a Jeep guy and he said last time he crossed it was hood deep and it’s way deeper today after this rain. It was only 33F when we got out of the pool tonight. Guess we’ll have a good frost again since it’s mostly clear. They’re talking mid to high 60s this coming week so hope they are right. We tried to get back to Florence on Whitlow Ranch Rd and after getting 2/3 of the way through met some guys in a pickup who had been quite lost down there and said it dead ended. Since it was nearly dark we decided to turn around and take the known route home.
Dec 28
We went off exploring again this morning. Drove down the Diversion Dam Rd which we should have connected with last night from Whitlow Ranch Rd but it didn’t happen. The gate Randy had told me about is before the roads join so it is a good thing we turned back last night or we would have been returning in the dark. There doesn’t appear to be any way to get through even though the most recent county map shows the roads all joining.
Next we drove Price Rd up to Box Canyon. We stopped for lunch where there had been some kind of development. Some one came along and said it was the former site of the Last Chance Mine. After lunch we drove another ½ mile or so and parked as we’d heard the canyon wasn’t for the likes of our monster truck. We’d heard the truth! We walked the canyon for ¾ of a mile or so and found where we’d definitely damage the running boards trying to get over a large rock. We saw dozens of ATVs and dirt bikes, quite a number of Jeeps and other sport utes plus even a few jacked up pickups. Some ATV riders told us about a side canyon worth looking at so we did on our return to the truck. ATVs can access the side canyon for about ¼ mile then it is foot exploration only. Mitzy and I went another few hundred yards and were topping out of the canyon. Included pictures will be titled side canyon. I treated Aileen to Chinese food for supper. There is a very good Chinese restaurant just as you enter Florence.
Dec 30
Yesterday was a rest day mostly. I went to the library. We looked at a used park model some old people have for sale. They moved to the park next door so they don’t have any stairs. Some parts of the trailer were interesting but the price was more than we would pay. Later, we went to Coolidge for groceries. Spent an hour in the pool later. Our neighbour, Carol, knew we’d be there so she came and visited and heard all about our previous day’s exploration (Box Canyon) until she got too cold. She should have jumped in the pool with us!
Today we drove up to Queen Valley, about 22 miles north of here. We were just checking the area over when we saw a sign for Queen Valley RV Park. Sounded interesting so we followed all the signs and finally found it tucked away in a little valley on the outskirts of the village. It was very quiet and felt really good, the residents seemed very friendly and they have all types of happenings and arts and crafts to keep one occupied. There’s a Jeep club, ATV club, hiking club, music jams Friday night, art, quilting, library, puzzles, pool tables, swimming pool/hot tub, saunas and the list goes on. The big downside is you can’t buy your lot, only rent. $3210 per year includes everything except hydro. $500 per month for an RV lot. So you can put a park model on it and pay $3210 per year which would mount up after awhile. And, your park model will depreciate whereas if you own the lot the price should remain constant or even rise over the years. The park is about 20 miles from the outskirts of Greater Phoenix so not too far removed but nice and peaceful. There is a nice 18 hole golf course right in Queen Creek village but there didn’t seem to be much else for commercial. Maybe we missed some of the village.
After leaving Queen Creek we took the Hewitt Station Rd east then north. As we got closer into the Superstition Mountains, the scenery became very interesting. Once again lots of ATVs and of course gunfire. I just can’t understand the American’s fascination with guns; it doesn’t seem to matter where you get to, you can hear gunfire. After awhile the road became very knobby and rough. Then I met a Jeep who told me the road climbed up to a pass in about 6 miles and it was very icy up there. Given that we weren’t bargaining on that, we turned around. Aileen walked Mitzy back through the rough section and let her play in the running water in the wash while I drove further to find a turn around. I wasn’t out of sight yet when Aileen twisted her ankle a little so I had to run her cane back to her. When we returned to Hewitt Station Rd we continued on to the east and popped out on Highway 60 a few miles west of Superior near the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. From there it was only 25 minutes home. Just as we reached the highway, we saw Happy Camp Rd head east so we’ll have to come back sometime to drive it. Carol, next door, has a map which shows some ruins up it although none of my maps give any hints about that. No visitors during our pool time tonight. Most nights we have some people lean over the wall expressing amazement someone would actually be in the water.
We stayed around home this morning even though it did turn sunny. We had a nice white frost which hung around quite awhile after the sun came out. Aileen made a mincemeat pie using the mincemeat she made from scratch. We had some for supper and it was delicious. I went to the library for more books and took Mitzy for a longer walk.
After lunch we took our new county map and went to Cochran. The roads have mostly dried up now so no problems. You wouldn’t want to drive that road during or shortly after a heavy rain as much of it follows washes and it looks like the water really boogies down them. We met many bikes and ATVs along the way plus a few vehicles. The big surprise was getting to the end of the road and finding a new Class C motor home and a large 5th wheel towed by a semi! And Aileen was worried about us in our 4x4! We were able to see the Coke Ovens across the Gila River but no way to get to them. They were built in 1882 and are conical 30 foot high rock structures. They actually produced charcoal (not coke) from Mesquite to help in the mine processors. There is a ford across the river at low water. We talked to a Jeep guy and he said last time he crossed it was hood deep and it’s way deeper today after this rain. It was only 33F when we got out of the pool tonight. Guess we’ll have a good frost again since it’s mostly clear. They’re talking mid to high 60s this coming week so hope they are right. We tried to get back to Florence on Whitlow Ranch Rd and after getting 2/3 of the way through met some guys in a pickup who had been quite lost down there and said it dead ended. Since it was nearly dark we decided to turn around and take the known route home.
Dec 28
We went off exploring again this morning. Drove down the Diversion Dam Rd which we should have connected with last night from Whitlow Ranch Rd but it didn’t happen. The gate Randy had told me about is before the roads join so it is a good thing we turned back last night or we would have been returning in the dark. There doesn’t appear to be any way to get through even though the most recent county map shows the roads all joining.
Next we drove Price Rd up to Box Canyon. We stopped for lunch where there had been some kind of development. Some one came along and said it was the former site of the Last Chance Mine. After lunch we drove another ½ mile or so and parked as we’d heard the canyon wasn’t for the likes of our monster truck. We’d heard the truth! We walked the canyon for ¾ of a mile or so and found where we’d definitely damage the running boards trying to get over a large rock. We saw dozens of ATVs and dirt bikes, quite a number of Jeeps and other sport utes plus even a few jacked up pickups. Some ATV riders told us about a side canyon worth looking at so we did on our return to the truck. ATVs can access the side canyon for about ¼ mile then it is foot exploration only. Mitzy and I went another few hundred yards and were topping out of the canyon. Included pictures will be titled side canyon. I treated Aileen to Chinese food for supper. There is a very good Chinese restaurant just as you enter Florence.
Dec 30
Yesterday was a rest day mostly. I went to the library. We looked at a used park model some old people have for sale. They moved to the park next door so they don’t have any stairs. Some parts of the trailer were interesting but the price was more than we would pay. Later, we went to Coolidge for groceries. Spent an hour in the pool later. Our neighbour, Carol, knew we’d be there so she came and visited and heard all about our previous day’s exploration (Box Canyon) until she got too cold. She should have jumped in the pool with us!
Today we drove up to Queen Valley, about 22 miles north of here. We were just checking the area over when we saw a sign for Queen Valley RV Park. Sounded interesting so we followed all the signs and finally found it tucked away in a little valley on the outskirts of the village. It was very quiet and felt really good, the residents seemed very friendly and they have all types of happenings and arts and crafts to keep one occupied. There’s a Jeep club, ATV club, hiking club, music jams Friday night, art, quilting, library, puzzles, pool tables, swimming pool/hot tub, saunas and the list goes on. The big downside is you can’t buy your lot, only rent. $3210 per year includes everything except hydro. $500 per month for an RV lot. So you can put a park model on it and pay $3210 per year which would mount up after awhile. And, your park model will depreciate whereas if you own the lot the price should remain constant or even rise over the years. The park is about 20 miles from the outskirts of Greater Phoenix so not too far removed but nice and peaceful. There is a nice 18 hole golf course right in Queen Creek village but there didn’t seem to be much else for commercial. Maybe we missed some of the village.
After leaving Queen Creek we took the Hewitt Station Rd east then north. As we got closer into the Superstition Mountains, the scenery became very interesting. Once again lots of ATVs and of course gunfire. I just can’t understand the American’s fascination with guns; it doesn’t seem to matter where you get to, you can hear gunfire. After awhile the road became very knobby and rough. Then I met a Jeep who told me the road climbed up to a pass in about 6 miles and it was very icy up there. Given that we weren’t bargaining on that, we turned around. Aileen walked Mitzy back through the rough section and let her play in the running water in the wash while I drove further to find a turn around. I wasn’t out of sight yet when Aileen twisted her ankle a little so I had to run her cane back to her. When we returned to Hewitt Station Rd we continued on to the east and popped out on Highway 60 a few miles west of Superior near the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. From there it was only 25 minutes home. Just as we reached the highway, we saw Happy Camp Rd head east so we’ll have to come back sometime to drive it. Carol, next door, has a map which shows some ruins up it although none of my maps give any hints about that. No visitors during our pool time tonight. Most nights we have some people lean over the wall expressing amazement someone would actually be in the water.
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